Life After Death: We Can Survive/Issue 2
By now, the sun had fully set and the sky was now pitch black. The bright, silver crescent moon shone through the clouds that had begun to take over the sky, blocking out most of the stars, though few could be seen in the breaks between. The beat up car barreled down the empty dirt road, towards a city not far in the distance. “Jesus...just what the hell was that?” Devon asked. “That guy must have been on some serious shit...just…''fuck''.” “What do we do?” Leslie asked in a shaky voice. “I don’t...I don’t know. We should probably just get home and sleep this off. Pretend it never happened. Everything will be fine.” Suddenly, flashing red and blue lights came speeding down the road. Devon looked down and saw that he was going ten miles over the speed limit, and immediately slowed down as two cop cars raced past them towards the campground. “See? The cops are taking care of things,” Devon assured. “This is gonna blow over...it was just some crazy guy finishing his bucket list...we’ll forget about it...and everything...everything will be fine.” ---- The car pulled up into a parking lot in front of an old, rundown apartment complex. The walls were made of grayish-brown bricks, most of which were cracked, chipped, or both. There were several other cars parked in it, most of which had some sort of damage, like a cracked windshield or a dented door. Devon parked the car in an open spot right in front of the glass entrance, facing away from it, and turned off the car. The two got out of the car and walked inside the building. They walked up two flights of stairs onto the third floor, and went down all the way to the end of the hallway to apartment 315. Devon pulled the red lanyard out of his pocket, shuffled through his keys until he found the one to their apartment, and opened the door. Inside, the apartment was very small and closed in, and appeared as though it had been ransacked while they were gone. There were clothes all over the floor, dirty dishes on everys elevated surface imaginable, and garbage spread around the rooms. “Is it just me or did this place get dirtier while we were gone?” Leslie asked as she slipped off her shoes. “Eh, I’ll clean it tomorrow,” Devon said, closing the door and beginning to take his shoes off, as well. “I just want to go fall into bed...and sleep...forever.” Devon walked down the hall and opened the first door on the right, causing it to squeak. He flicked on the light and shut the door. Turning to the left, he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror. Devon turned on the tap and splashed cold water onto his face. A few seconds after wiping it off, he began to brush his teeth. After he finished, Devon walked down to the very end of the hall and opened the door to the left. He went into the shoebox-sized room, threw his phone on his desk, tossed his jacket on the floor, pushed the door shut, and fell back onto the cloud-like mattress that was shoved up against the wall farthest from the door. Through the dark of night, he saw the flashing light coming from his phone. He grudgingly crawled out of his bed and reached for his phone. When he turned it on, he was surprised to see a message from one of his friends. “jesus fucking christ man. u watchin the news? if not turn it on shits fucking mad” it read. “what happened?” Devon replied. He sat there for a moment, waiting for an answer. He was about to put the phone back and return to his attempt at sleeping when at the last second, the message appeared. “some dude went around the city fucking eating people. they had something like 10 cops tryna get him to stop and then he bit one so they shot him in the face. on camera. it was crazy man.” Immediately, Devon dropped his phone, sprung to the door, and went barrelling down the hallway. “Leslie!” he yelled as he flicked the living room light on. “Help me find the remote!” “Why?” she asked as she trudged out of her room. “We need to turn on the news.” “What for?” “It’s about what happened today. Just hurry and--wait, nevermind. Found it.” Devon pulled the remote out from behind a couch pillow and flicked the TV on. “C’mon, c’mon…” After a few seconds, the TV turned on, and Devon switched it over to the local news channel. The screen was panning over a city street where dozens of people were crowding around a taped off part of the street. Several police officers were surrounded two body bags on the ground. The scene was described as a pale man growling and attacking people in the street, like the scene Devon and Leslie had witnessed that same day. The reporter stated that this is the latest in a series of incidents that have been happening over the last few hours, but that the police claim they have the situation under control and not to panic. Devon shut the TV off and stared at the black screen, his mouth open in astonishment. “We’re screwed…” he said. “What are you talking about?” Leslie questioned. “They said the police have it under control. It’s probably just some people on drugs.” “You really believe that crap? Don’t you think it’s a little odd how this is all of a sudden all happening at once? What, did they all just happen to attend the mid-day release of bath salts, “extra-fucking-crazy” edition? What about that old guy...you really think he was on drugs, too? No, this is something bigger. It has to be. If they really thought it was a drug, they’d be arresting these people, not killing them. The fact that they even feel the need to tell us it’s under control? It’s just them trying to stop people from panicking, because panicking would make this worse...whatever this is.” “What is it then?” “I have no idea, all I know is it isn’t what they’re saying it is. It’s something serious and they’re just leaving us in the dark. That’s not going to end well. And-” Leslie’s face was struck with fear, which Devon noticed. “Well...maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this is just something small and everything will end up okay. We won’t find out anytime soon. We should just head to bed and see how things are in the morning.” “Yeah, you’re right. Well, goodnight.” “Night. Make sure to brush your teeth.” “Yeah, yeah.” Devon went off to his room and fell back into his bed. He heard the bathroom door shut and the tap turn on, and he looked back and stared at the moon through his open window. He closed his eyes and swiftly fell asleep. ---- Devon’s eyes peeled open as he heard a crash coming from outside his room. He bounced out of bed and searched around the room for something to grab. Then, remembering they were still in his pocket, he pulled out his keys and clenched them, preparing for the worst. He walked to the end of his room and slowly turned the handle, making sure not to make a sound. When there was enough room, he poked his head slightly out of his door. He looked down the hall to see Leslie’s door was shut, and suddenly saw a foot retract behind the kitchen wall. Devon slipped out through the opening and slowly advanced down the hallway, hearing more clanking. He reached the end, and spun around the corner, only to see Leslie about to pour a bowl of cereal. He let out a relieved sigh and lowered his keys. “Shit, uh...what was that noise?” Devon asked, surprised and still drowsy. “I dropped a spoon,” Leslie snapped back. “Does it really matter?” “Considering your spoon just woke me up and I couldn’t tell if someone had broken in or not, yeah, it does.” Leslie scoffed. “Why would you think someone broke in?” “I don’t know, I’m still half asleep. Give me a break.” Leslie finished pouring her cereal and brushed past Devon to sit down on the couch. Devon popped his keys back in his pocket, pulled a bowl out of the cupboard, and poured himself a bowl. He leaned back against the counter, bowl and spoon in hand, and began to eat when he noticed the answering machine flashing. He set his bowl down, walked over, and hit the button. “You have one new message. -*- Message one, sent at 7:13am,” Devon looked at the clock; it read 12:34am. “Hey guys, it’s auntie Judy. Just wanted to check in and see how you two have been doing...it’s been a bit since we last talked. I just got in the door, so sorry if I sound a little winde-oh, hold on a moment, someone’s at the door. Just give me a moment and I’ll give you another call. Maybe you’ll actually answer it this time, hm? -*- End of message.” Devon immediately picked up the phone laying on the counter and dialed his aunt’s number. It rang several times and then he got her voicemail. He hung up and tried again, with the same result. He stared at the phone for a moment, before looking into the living room and meeting Leslie’s brooding eyes. “Hurry up and eat,” he said to her. “We need to go.” ---- After a solid thirty minutes of speeding through the city streets, Devon pulled up his car into the driveway of a luxurious house that looked as though it belonged in a magazine. It was a gigantic white mansion-like building with decorative posts and panels all across the sides. The path to the door was lined with beautiful bushes and white flowers. The front door was wide open. “'Shit,'” Devon said as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. The two siblings leaped out of the car and rushed down the sidewalk and into the dark, lifeless house. There were no lights on inside, and the only light was coming through the open window in the dining room, illuminating the room just enough so that they could see where they were moving. “Aunt Judy!” Devon called out. “It’s us, Devon and Leslie. You called us earlier and wanted to see us?” Leslie was approaching the door to the kitchen when she stumbled over something on the ground. “Crap,” she muttered as she hit the floor. “Shit...you okay?” Devon asked as he rushed over to her. He looked down to see what she had tripped over, and gasped. On the ground was the bloody, slightly decayed dead body of a middle-aged man. He had several stab wounds over his body, with one right through his eye. “Jesus fucking...what...w-what the...what the fuck. Just...what the fuck. What the hell happened? Where’s Au-” Devon stopped the second he heard grunts coming from the kitchen. He helped Leslie up and they both ran around the corner, but Devon shot his arm out to hold Leslie back upon seeing what awaited them. Sitting on the ground against the kitchen cupboards was Judy, her long, black hair tattered and messy. She was wearing a fancy purple dress, which now had a large tear near the bottom. Her skin was pale and her eyes were foggy and yellowed. She growled and snapped her jaw, reaching out toward her niece and nephew, desperately trying to get up and approach them, but she was being restrained by the bike lock around her throat that attached her to the wooden post between the two cupboard doors. On the ground a few feet away from her was a voice recorder. Devon bent down and pressed play. The first few seconds were silent, but suddenly, there was a sniffle, and Judy began to speak. “Devon...Leslie...if you’re listening...I-I was going to phone again but...I didn’t...I didn’t know if you were okay, I...I didn’t want you to worry if you came down here...I wasn’t going to be responsible for your deaths too. And I had this old thing lying around...thought I’d put it to use. The person at the door...it wasn’t a person. It was a monster. One of those things...the ones the police said would be taken care of. I don’t know what to call it...it’s like they die and come back to life as...bloodthirsty demons. It must have heard my car...followed me to the door...the second I opened it, it was on my arm...I backed up and pulled out my keys...I tried stabbing the asshole but he just wouldn’t die...until I got his brain. That’s how...that’s how you kill them. Remember that. Don’t let it bite you...that thing...it had a bite mark on its neck...so I guess that’s how it turned into whatever the hell it is now. I’m rambling...I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you have to see me like this. I was going to end it myself but...I couldn’t...I just couldn't...so I...please...you have to do it for me...don’t let me be one of them...be strong...for both of you. You can beat this thing...whatever it is. Please...you mean the world to me--both of you. I love you so…'so' much...I-I...goodbye.” The message abruptly ended and Devon dropped to his knees as Leslie began to sob behind him. He looked over at the knives on the counter opposite Judy. “Leslie…” he said somberly. “Go into the other room, Leslie. Please.” “Why?” she asked amidst her tears. “Just go.” She reluctantly backed away, and lied down on one of the couches in the living room. Devon slowly rose to his feet, and walked over to the counter. He shuffled through the knives in the knife holder until he found the longest one. He turned and crouched down by his aunt. “I’m sorry…I love you too... “ he said, and then eased the knife through her eye. The growling stopped, and Judy’s body went limp. He pulled the knife out and let it drop to the ground as he began to cry. Credits * * * (Zombified) Deaths *Judy Brandt (Zombified) Trivia *First (and last) appearance of Judy Brandt. (Zombified)